Lunajammer

Quite good Chuck. I like it. Everything feels right.

That's some ambitious sculpting but it looks like you're getting it right and seems to be paying off. Keep going.

Sometimes just fondling the plastic is as enjoyable as building.

Was it a kidney?

Agreed, excellent debrief. Yet I can still barely connect the dots. Someone ought to do a visual timeline.

And it sound EXACTLY like this.

What I've bought for model work... • Their little tankless air compressor. Nice. • Their 2-gal. compressor. Returned it. Out-of-your-mind, no excuse loud. • Air connectors. • Favorite buy... their el-cheapo $8 dremel. Comes with some useable bits and is low torque. Worthless for much more than model building but perfect for hobby work. • Free flashlights. Use them for accent lighting when photographing my models. • Tweezer set. • Clamps

The 1/25 AMT '57 Thunderbird is easy to build but that also means fewer parts. The chassis is platform style with wire axles, drive train and exhaust molded in. It's an old mould so there's a little flash. Proportions are nice and it's fun for customizing. Custom options have varied over the years but most kits I've seen retain a few basic custom parts like wheel choices, custom top and some trim options. Kit instructions here. The 1/24 Monogram '56 Thunderbird has more parts, more detail and no customizing options. Kit instructions here. I'm not aware of any serious fit issues from either of these that someone of your experience would trouble over.

Beautiful work, quite realistic. I'm particularly glad to see the wheel treatment. I've been wanting to see an example of clear over chrome to soften the brightness.

Cool graphics. I think the bomber style steering wheel is inspired. Since the wheels look so bladed, have you considered a some kind of careful center hub treatment? ( Dome? Lighter silver, Insignia blue e.g?)

Let's see, '59 Ford front, '60 Comet rear, VW Vanagon front windows (same thing turned backwards at the rear)... I think I'm getting a headache.

Super. That's just the tutorial I was hoping to see. Thanks for the demonstration.

I use low tack tape, which includes Tamiya tapes, as much as possible. For anything else, only 3M tapes. Using no-name tapes will be the most expensive dollar you ever saved.

Striking. Unbelievably believable. I'd say you nailed it (heh). I'd love to do an old fishing boat like that.

Mostly everything. I use different colored primers with a color value closest to whatever color I'm going to paint the part. I also keep on hand one cheap, thin, off-brand primer for when I want a very light but even priming on a part with delicate features like scripts.

That's a real beauty. Such an attractive transformation.

Now that' something you don't see every day. Good work and some nice choices.

Come on guys, don't you secretly (or boldly) wish you had a new old grocery getter like that?

You know, it's still a good read. I got caught up in more than just the ads. 5 boys in our family growing up in the 50's 60's and 70's so we had many years of Boys Life floating around.

Looks like a little bit of forced perspective in the photograph. Model.

Baby steps, yes. But if you're returning to a hobby you're already familiar with, I think with just a few pointers from here you'll quickly ascend to a level that will delight you. After that you can discover and challenge the limits of your abilities. Whatever you do, don't throw out your old models. They'll mean more to you in the future than they may now.

If the chrome strip was not there, nobody would miss it. Please be very careful with any clear coat because what you have here is pure artistry.

I use the 5-minute epoxy when I want a strong bond with a little work time. Lately I've been using it to attach windshields and delicate areas of glass because it dries completely clear (more forgiving of slips or slops) and bonds better than white glue.

My buddy with the '54 Chevy you see in my avatar painted his engine and it was soft for months. A shop told him that's because engine paints partially count on the heat of the engine to cure it. For that reason I've never used engine paint for modeling. Might also explain why yours levels so nicely, but over time does it get rough from shrinkage?